SOUTHERN LEYTE – Passing the Bar examination has the magical charm that electrifies the country until now. So when the Supreme Court of the Philippines announced on April 14, that a total of 3,992 passed the 2022 Bar Examinations held on November 9, 13, 16, and 20, out of 9,183 juris doctor examinees, many people watched.
In Southern Leyte, a total of eight (8) passed the Bar. The College of Maasin, lone law school in the province, produced 4 new lawyers: Rejoice Valencia Epelipcia, Endelyn Jacobe Escutin, Lylwynn Lloyd Ambi Lim, and Nancy Dejarme Regis. The other new attorneys-at-law are Ericka Harriet Mercado Caballes, Seth Michael M. Calapre, Janice Labastida Dajao, and Louis-Mari R. Opina (top 19).
While Baguio City has a new blind lawyer, this province has a 65-year-old grandmother who successfully passed the recent bar examination. She is Nancy Dejarme Regis, a late bloomer from Sogod town.
Regis prioritized raising her family, until her children became professionals – two doctors, one nurse, and a businesswoman. She went through many challenges, but she persevered, continued working as a government employee to provide for herself, and studied at the College of Maasin to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer.
“My mother took the test for the first time at the age of 65, carrying with her all our support, with not an ounce of pressure from us. We frequently reminded her that being able to graduate from law school, going through the bar review, and taking the bar exam together with people twice or thrice her age, is already something to celebrate,” said Nancy’s son Napoleon.
Regis is the wife of the Second District Board Member Napoleon Regis, and a former Municipal Civil Registrar chief of Sogod, Southern Leyte.
One of the main reasons why the Philippine Bar Examination is one of the hardest in the world is the number of subjects covered, total of eight. In order to pass the rigorous examinations, examinees need to obtain a general average of 75% in all eight law subjects, and must not fall below 50% in any of the subjects. (GMReyes)